any filipino nurse working in canada?

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Aug 6, 2008

I love to travel, when I travel I add to the local economy, I spend money and I don't displace a worker. I also do not add to the local community. I do not get involved in local issues. If I don't like the place I traveled to I leave.

Being a member of a community is hard work. You have to volunteer time and money to see that proper services are rendered. You have to ensure the schools are educating the students, the roads are being fixed, your taxes are paid, etc.

My take no one wants a "traveler" to take assests out of the community

while not contributing to the community. I don't think that is one's intention, but reading post after post about working in US or Canada, and never asking about the community is a clue, that many just want to work and send money home.

2BANURZSXPENSIV · Aug 6, 2008

To Alezk49,

This is what the forum is all about,reading posts after posts to find the answers you are looking for... so what? I dont see any problem with that. The reason why we work is for us to have money...To survive... Its not like we asked for this...If you have any problem about other people's goal in life... If that doesnt matter at all to you... Then better yet dont comment at all..At least we will be all at peace.. We dont need people that will criticize us, although you are only making us try our best more... But we need now, are helpful threads that will answer our questions... But you know what.... WHATEVER... SAY what you want to say if thats what make you happy then do it.. At least we have freedom to express what we feel... Til THEN.... Gotta go...

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Aug 6, 2008

To Alezk49,
This is what the forum is all about,reading posts after posts to find the answers you are looking for... so what? I dont see any problem with that. The reason why we work is for us to have money...To survive... Its not like we asked for this...If you have any problem about other people's goal in life... If that doesnt matter at all to you... Then better yet dont comment at all..At least we will be all at peace.. We dont need people that will criticize us, although you are only making us try our best more... But we need now, are helpful threads that will answer our questions... But you know what.... WHATEVER... SAY what you want to say if thats what make you happy then do it.. At least we have freedom to express what we feel... Til THEN.... Gotta go...

I do have a problem, nurses who go into nursing for money, do not add to the nursing profession. They are difficult to work with since the are not vested in the profession. This is true where ever you train American, Canada, UK, etc.

If you had lifethreatening illness would you want the paycheck nurse, or the nurse who is motivated to get you well?

molly23 · Aug 7, 2008

:Dhello guys!!

just registered in this site,i find it really great!

im really planning to work abroad especially in canada as a nurse.i graduated and passed the NLE last year and have a 1 year experience as a staff nurse in a primary hospital in the philippines.i would like to ask infos on steps how to go through with this process, requirements and everything..i know i would be competent to work as a nurse there if given a chance:nurse:

thanks guys!!

Silverdragon102, BSN · Aug 7, 2008

Hi Molly and welcome

Which province do you want to live and work? That would be the starting point by looking for that province's board of nursing and seeing what their requirements are for foreign trained nurses.

Have a read both in this and the Canadian forum as much has already been written on moving but also the CRNE which at some stage you will have to take

lilac88 · Aug 15, 2008

Hi Janfrn,

You posted,

"I also have difficulty supporting the poaching of health care professionals from poorer countries, which leaves the citizens of that country without access to care. Yes, we need more nurses, but not at the expense of someone else."

Close to 10,000 Philippine Nurses took the NCLEX this year.

The Philippines produces almost 100,000 new nurses per year and only about 5% are being employed. Most are also being exploited by employers by just giving them allowances or sometimes free meals instead of the usual salaries which is only about C$1.2 per hour compared to C$25 for GN's in Saskatchewan. This is the main reason why nurses want to leave because how can a nurse survive WITHOUT salaries?

Almost all parents wishes their chldren to be future nurses not to earn C$1.2 per hour or work for FREE but rather to work overseas.

To finalize, there is an OVERSUPPLY of nurses in the Philippines and it will do a lot of favor for the country to deploy them overseas.

Just an input....

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Aug 15, 2008

The Philippines is only one of the countries that Canada has imported nurses from. Some, like South Africa and some Caribbean countries, are suffering their own shortage of nurses, but because Canada pays more, these nurses choose to leave their homes and families to chase the almighty buck. There's nothing wrong with wanting to have a good life but I think there is something wrong when a country like Canada contributes to the lack of adequate health care in the poorest countries to satisfy its own needs. We should be educating and valuing our own nurses.

The Philippines has chosen to make nursing education into an industry for export. They are abusing their own people by encouraging them to train for a career that is not going to be available to them on their own soil, and also by not ensuring that the education they are providing is going to meet the standards of their target nations. There is more than sufficient proof of that here at allnurses.com in the posts for Filipino nurses who are finding out the hard way that they've been sold a pig in a poke... and somehow it's Canada's or the US's fault. Who made the decision to become a nurse in a place where there are no jobs for nurses that pay a living wage?

You mentioned the huge differential in hourly wages between the Philippines and Saskatchewan. I wonder what the difference is in the cost of living. Do people in the Philippines pay 30% or more of their income in taxes before they even see their cheques? Do they pay more than $1000 a month in rent? Do they pay union dues on every cheque and more than $400 a year for their license to practice? Does it cost them several thousand dollars a year to heat their homes? I know you'll find that your $25 an hour here isn't going to go nearly as far as you think it will, and the money you'll be sending home won't be nearly as much as you want it to be. I make considerably more than $25 an hour and if I had to live on my paycheque alone, I'd never be able to do it. I don't live in a big, fancy house, I don't drive a shiny new car, I don't vacation in Mexico every winter and in Europe every summer... in fact, I've never been to Mexico or Europe and likely never will. I worry about how we'll survive when we can no longer work. Please try to be a little more realistic about what Canada can do for you, and what you can do for Canada.

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Aug 16, 2008

I would also point out, US and Canadian nurses education is very expensive. Also the 30% tax you speak of does not include, other taxes like gas tax, or sales tax which seems to vary from each province. Tens of thousands for a BSN.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_taxes_in_Canada

lilac88 · Aug 20, 2008

Good Day to All!

To continue the comparison,

Taxes- Let's factor out taxes because nurses in the Philippines are also being taxed first before they get their salaries, not to mention the controversial EVAT where almost everything you buy have 12%tax.

Salaries- at $25/hr or $4,000 per month, nurses there spend $700 in a 2 bedroom apartment. After the rental they still have $3,300 or P 135,000 to spend in other things

In the Philippines at P 400/day or P 8,000/month, rental of the same 2BR apartment is P 8,000. That's it !!! No need to compute on other necessities because there is nothing left to compute anymore.

Health Care- I heard that in Canada,if the patient is not yet dying he/she must wait for days or even months before she can be treated or operated. In the Philippines for as long as you have money or Health Card, you can be treated ASAP AND in any hospital you wishes to.

What's the use of money if no one can attend to your illness? What's the use of abundance of health care workers if the patient do not have the money to pay the hospital.

I know and I feel that it is somewhat awkward for rich countries to source their health workers from the Philippines but what can we do? The Philippines produces close to 80,000 EXCESS nurses per year while Canada and the rest have a critical shortage. 80,000 new nurses in the Philippines as compared to approx 40% of Canadian nurses in the age of 50 and above. What will happen 10 years from now?

On the nurses in Saskatchewan, 70% passed the CRNE this June, assuming this holds true with the rest of the 300 nurses hired, this means 210 new RN's in 2008-2009. By 2010 they may be Permanent Residents and soon to be Canadian Citizens too! Not to mention the remaining 90 nurses who will retake the CRNE.

To summarize, i still believe that sending EXCESS nurses (but qualified by the SRNA etc.)from the Philippines to Canada is a win-win solution to everyone.

This is my only humble opinion and hope everyone of us is entitled to our own.

Peace be to all...

Silverdragon102, BSN · Aug 20, 2008

Good Day to All!
To continue the comparison,
Taxes- Let's factor out taxes because nurses in the Philippines are also being taxed first before they get their salaries, not to mention the controversial EVAT where almost everything you buy have 12%tax.
Salaries- at $25/hr or $4,000 per month, nurses there spend $700 in a 2 bedroom apartment. After the rental they still have $3,300 or P 135,000 to spend in other things
In the Philippines at P 400/day or P 8,000/month, rental of the same 2BR apartment is P 8,000. That's it !!! No need to compute on other necessities because there is nothing left to compute anymore.
Health Care- I heard that in Canada,if the patient is not yet dying he/she must wait for days or even months before she can be treated or operated. In the Philippines for as long as you have money or Health Card, you can be treated ASAP AND in any hospital you wishes to.
What's the use of money if no one can attend to your illness? What's the use of abundance of health care workers if the patient do not have the money to pay the hospital.
I know and I feel that it is somewhat awkward for rich countries to source their health workers from the Philippines but what can we do? The Philippines produces close to 80,000 EXCESS nurses per year while Canada and the rest have a critical shortage. 80,000 new nurses in the Philippines as compared to approx 40% of Canadian nurses in the age of 50 and above. What will happen 10 years from now?
On the nurses in Saskatchewan, 70% passed the CRNE this June, assuming this holds true with the rest of the 300 nurses hired, this means 210 new RN's in 2008-2009. By 2010 they may be Permanent Residents and soon to be Canadian Citizens too! Not to mention the remaining 90 nurses who will retake the CRNE.
To summarize, i still believe that sending EXCESS nurses (but qualified by the SRNA etc.)from the Philippines to Canada is a win-win solution to everyone.
This is my only humble opinion and hope everyone of us is entitled to our own.
Peace be to all...

There is more money spent than that. Grocery are not cheap and if you have a car (which really you need) then there is fuel if not then there is public transport. Then take into account the cold winters where heating will come into play, clothing etc it soon mounts up

I have not seen or heard of people in Canada not getting treatment when it is required.

Sending excess nurses to Canada is not always a win win situation. In a country that looks for local license and experience from a country that is producing excess nurses to the extent that they are not able to get a job and gain experience where is the win win.

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Aug 20, 2008

Ok, at $25 hour you would be lucky to take home $16 hour - which is $640 a week. If Canada is like the US, you are limited how many people live in an apartment. A one bedroom is for a couple or a single person. In my town you are limited to 2 people per bedroom, or less per your landlord. if you break this rule you will be evicted. I read how many immigrants try to cram into a small apartment and they are removed for violating the lease.

I live in the Boston area, I am lucky I have gas heat, but I hear others talk about their heating bills being budgeted $450 a month for gas heat for a small one bedroom. You have to keep your heat at a certain level or your pipes will burst and your have to replace the pumping, so if you think you can turn off the heat while you work forget it! You have to pay for insurance, ( home insurance, malpractice insurance, car insurance)- we pay over $10K in insurance and that is relief since our state lowered car insurance. I know from visiting Canada gas is even more expensive there! Internet, phone and electricity all cost extra at least a couple of hundred a month.

You have to pay your bills on time or you will find you are paying crazy fees.

To put a car on the road, you have to buy the car, register the car ( cost $$) and have the car inspected, as well as insured. With the price of gas I am paying over $50 week and that is with a compact car.

To live in a winter climate, you have to have winter clothes, a good quality winter coat alone in about $150, you will need boots, gloves, hats, scarfs, and that is only your outer clothing. To keep a car running that will turn over in the winter the car needs to be winterized, that can cost a couple of hundred dollars a year to get the car ready for winter. With snow you need good tires and need to keep your gas tank full so the car will turn over on a cold morning. You need to replace your car battery frequently also since old batteries won't turn over in minus zero temps. You need to have a shovel and salt in the house even if your rent. As nurse you need to come to work and they don't accept that you haven't been shoveled out. ( And it can be very discouraging to shovel your car out only to have the snow plow come by and create a huge pile that will take about another hour.

So I can understand why $25/hour doesn't get you very far in a cold climate. I have an all wheel drive car and had to replace all the tires at that cost me over $650 and that was with my husband shopping around.

I forgot to add in the Winter time don't expect to see the sun, I drive to work before sunrise and the sun is setting when I drive home. It can be depressing.

molly23 · Aug 20, 2008

:pthanks a lot..i have browsed from the internet and i thought of applying in ontario,i havnt read much of it yet,im still getting infos..would it be better for me to apply there? i have earned my 4 year nursing course and is a registered nurse in the philippines..i have 1 year and 2 months work experience already in a primary hospital.by the way, were can i take the said CRNE? tshnks a lot really,hoping for a reply..tc

Hi Molly and welcome
Which province do you want to live and work? That would be the starting point by looking for that province's board of nursing and seeing what their requirements are for foreign trained nurses.
Have a read both in this and the Canadian forum as much has already been written on moving but also the CRNE which at some stage you will have to take